Mike Baxter Could Replace Jason Bay

It almost happened again during last night’s game. I’m talking about Jason Bay slamming his right knee into the wall while making an inning-ending catch in the second inning on Jason Kubel’s pop fly. As he limped off the field and into the dugout, I couldn’t help thing – not again.

Afterward, Bay had the knee wrapped, but said it was no big deal. Where have we heard that before?

Mike Puma of the New York Post reported that before last night’s game, Terry Collins said that Mike Baxter eventually could supplant Bay as the regular left fielder.

“It could eventually pan out that way,” Collins explained. “I want to see where Baxter is when he gets back here.”

Strike up the band.

Only three games ago, during the last game of an 0-6 homestand, Terry Collins put forth quite a defense of Jason Bay in a post game interview on SNY. “He’s my everyday left fielder and that’s the way it will be’ said Collins. “He doesn’t even have 100 at-bats yet. Let him get 125 at-bats and then I’ll see where we are with Jason”.

What a difference an 0-for-7 with three more strikeouts can make.

Hey that now puts him at 106 at-bats, what do ya say Terry?

Bay is batting .170 this season with five home runs and eight RBI in those 106 at-bats this season. He struck out 33 times and has a .576 OPS all for the neat tidy sum of a $18 million dollar paycheck in 2012.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, Baxter is hitting .333 (21-for-65) with eight RBI during his minor league rehab assignment. Thankfully, he is expected to rejoin the Mets as early as Monday.

I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73, '00 and '15, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction and interact with other passionate Met fans like you. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.